Metal barrel or drum top cutter



May 19, 1959 w. M. KRIST ET AL 2,386,837

I METAL BARREL OR DRUM TOP CUTTER Filed Feb. 26, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS JOSEPH S. CZAPIEWSKI WILLIAM M.KR|ST ATTORNEYS 19, 1959 W. M. .KRIST ETAL 2,886,887

I METAL BARREL OR DRUM TOP CUTTER Filed Feb 26, 1958 I 4 Sheets-Sheet s a, 'I/IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII.11111111 I111. j

INVENTORS JOSEPH .s. CZAPIEWSKI WILLIAM M.KRIYST ATTORNEYS May 19, 1959 w. M. KRIST ET AL METAL BARREL OR DRUM TOP CUTTER Filed Feb. 26. 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS JOSEPH S. CZAPIEWSKI WILLIAM M. KRIST ATTORNEYS United States Patent METAL BARREL OR DRUM TOP CUTTER William M. Krist and Joseph S. Czapiewslri, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application February 26, 1958, Serial No. 717,582

2 Claims. (Cl. 30-4) This invention appertains to cutting devices and more particularly to a power driven apparatus for severing the tops of heavy steel cans, such as oil and like drums and barrels, so that such drums can be advantageously used as containers for waste and other matter.

One of the primary objects of the invention is to provide a self contained power unit which can be readily placed on a drum and readily removed therefrom after the cutting operation, and one in which no effort or skill required by an operator for the cutting operation other than the movement of the cutter to the drum for the cutting operation and the adjusting of the device relative to a particular size and style of drum.

Another salient object of the invention is the provision of a power driven top cutter for steel drums and the like embodying a frame or casting carrying a knurled wheel for engaging one side of the drum and for feeding the device automatically around the drum, an adjustable cutter for engaging the head of the drum at the point where the top is to be severed, and a novel mounting on the frame for the drive motor and a novel means for operatively connecting the motor with the operating parts of the device.

A further important object of the invention is the provision of novel means for correctly supporting the apparatus on the drum being cut, said means embodying top supporting guide rollers engaging the rim of the drum carried by the frame of the device, and a yoke carrying rollers on the lower end of the frame for engaging the side wall of the drum for effectively supporting the weight of the motor against the side of the drum.

A still further important object of the invention is the provision of novel means for adjusting the rollers on the yoke according to the diameter of the drum.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and formation of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically defined and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which drawings,

Figure l is a side elevational view of the improved cutting device mounted on a steel drum for severing the top of the drum, parts of the view being shown broken away and in section to illustrate structural detail;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 is a detail horizontal sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, illustrating the mounting of the bearing for the cutter shaft;

Figure 4 is a detail horizontal sectional view, taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, illustrating the top guide and supporting rollers for the apparatus and the means for adjusting the cutter shaft relative to the drum or barrel;

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows and illustrating more particularly the lower guide yoke and its rollers, and

ice

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 1, but showing a slightly modified form of the invention, the device being shown removed from the barrel or drum.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter C generally indicates the improved barrel or drum top cutter and the same includes a frame 10, parts of which can be in the nature of a casting, if such is preferred. As illustrated, the frame 10 includes spaced parallel inner and outer walls 11 and 12 and side walls 13 and 14. As best shown in Figures 1 and 2, the outer wall 12 extends a considerable distance below the inner wall 11 and is laterally enlarged adjacent to its lower end to form a supporting frame.

plate 15. The extreme lower edge of the frame plate 15 carries an inwardly directed flange 16 which forms a part of a guide yoke 17, as will later appear.

Carried by the frame plate 15 is an electric drive motor 18 of the desired rating and the motor is preferably arranged with its armature shaft 19 in a horizontal plane. The particular mounting of the motor 18 on the frame plate 15 will be later set forth.

Mounted on top of the frame 10 is a gear casing 20 and this gear casing includes bearings for a horizontally disposed drive shaft 21. The armature shaft 19 of the motor 18 and the shaft 21 are operatively connected together in any desired way, such as by the use of a drive belt 22 trained about sprocket wheels 23 and 24 secured respectively to the armature shaft 19 and the drive shaft 21. j

The housing of the motor 18 carries a vertically extending conduit tube 25 for the electricvwires of the.

motor and the upper end of the conduit 25 carries a rotatable head 26 so that the incoming feed and the return wires will not become twisted during the movement of the motor 18 and the frame 10 around a drum, indicated by the drive belt or chain 22. Hence, this mounting includes,

a mounting plate 27 rigidly fastened to the housing of the motor 18 and this plate is arranged in facial abutting relation to the plate 15. The mounting plate 27 is provided with vertically extending slots 28 and the plate 15 carries holding bolts 29 which extend through the slots 28. By loosening the clamping nuts 30, which are threaded on the bolts, the mounting plate 27 with the motor can be raised and lowered to the desired height, after which the nuts 30 can be tightened.

The apparatus includes means for feeding the same around a drum and a barrel, and an apparatus co-acting therewith for cutting through the top of the drum or barrel. Now referring to the drum D, it can be seen that the head or top 6 of the drum is connected to the side of the drum by a bead 7 and this bead 7 actually forms a barrel or drum rim. The feeding mechanism includes a vertically extending rotatable feed shaft 31 and this shaft is rotatably mounted in bearings 32 and 33 carried by the frame 10. It can be seen that these hearings are disposed between the side walls 13 and 14 of the frame. The shaft 31 extends below the side walls 13 and 14 and has keyed or otherwise fastened thereto, a knurled erably shaped rim.

As illustrated, the lower end of the knurled feed wheel 34 is provided with an annular rib35 which is adapted to extend under the rim or. head 7 of the barrel.

The

assess? 3. feed wheel itself engages the outer surface of the rim or bead 7 of the drum. The upper end of the shaft 31 extends into the gear housing 21 and the shaft has keyed or otherwise fastened thereto a worm wheel 36 which meshes with a worm 37 keyed or otherwise fastened to the horizontal drive shaft 21.

The cutting mechanism embodies a rotatable cutter shaft 33 and the upper end of this shaft is rotatably mounted in a bearing block 39. The lower end of the shaft is rotatably mounted in a bearing block 40. The bearing block 39 is disposed within the frame iii between the side walls 13 and M and these walls. adjustably carry bearing pins 41 which rockably support the upper bearing block 39. Hence, the cutter shaft 38 is movable toward and away from the feed shaft 31. The extreme lower end' of the cutter shaft carries a cutter disc 42 and this disc, in the present instance, is shown to be substantially in a horizontal plane and is adapted to engage the inner side of the rim 7 from the feed wheel 34. In order to adjust the shaft 38 and the cutter 42 toward the rim 7, and the feed Wheel, the lower bearing block 40 is mounted for sliding movement in guideways 43 carried by the inner faces of the side walls 13 and 14. Springs 44 normally urge the bearing block 40 and the shaft 38 in a direction away from the feed shaft 31. In order to forcibly move the cutter disc 42 into cutting beading contact with the rim 7 an adjusting feed screw 45 is provided. This feed screw is threaded into a boss 46 formed on the inner wall 11 of the frame and the inner end of the screw bears against the bearing block 49. The adjusting screw is provided with a handle or hand wheel 47 to facilitatethe turning thereof.

To bring about the driving of the cutter shaft, the same'has keyed or otherwise fastened thereto a pinion 33 which loosely meshes with a pinion 4% keyed or otherwise fastened to the feed shaft 31.

The side walls 13 and 14 of the frame above the feed wheel 34 carry laterally projecting supporting lugs 50 and these lugs in turn carry stub shafts 51. Rotatably mounted on the stub shafts are supporting rollers 52 and these rollers engage the upper edge of the rim or head 7 of the drum. It is to be noted that the supporting rollers 52 are disposed on an arc of a circle relative to one another and that the peripheries thereof can be provided with grooves 53 for receiving the rim of the bead 7 of the drum.

It will be noted that the weight of the device is adjacent to the lower end of the frame, and hence the lower end of the frame has a tendency to swing in toward the drum D. In order to adequately support he device from the drum at this point and to facilitate the travel of the device around the drum, the yoke 17 is provided. This yoke 17 includes the flange or rib 16 and oppositely extending arms 54 and 55. The arms are mounted for swinging movement on the opposite ends of the rib or flange 16, and hence these arms can be swung in and out toward and away from the side wall of a drum or barrel. The position of the arms relative to the flange 16 and to the drum can be set by the operator to suit the size of the drum and after the setting of the arms and the same can be held in the selected, adjusted position by tightening the holding screws 56 which connect the arms to the flange. The flange itself rotatably carries guide and supporting rollers 57 and these rollers are arranged in a horizontal plane and engage the outer surface of the side wall of the drum. The extreme outer ends of the arms 54 and 55 rotatably carry guide and supporting rollers 58 and these rollers are also arranged ina horizontal plane and engage the outer surface of the side wall of the drum 01' barrel.

In operation, of the improved top cutter, the feed screw 45 is loosened or threaded outwardly so as to permit the cutter disc'42 to move away from the feedwheel 34. The. apparatussislnow hung onzthe. drum: with.

the rollers. 52. engaging the rim. and with the. rollers. 51 and 3S engaging the side wall of the drum. The screw 45 is threaded inwardly andthe cutter disc 42 is moved into bighting contact with the rim. The circuit to the motor 18 is closed whereupon the feed wheel 34 and the cutter disc 42 will be rotated and the cutter will travel around the entire circumference of the bead or rim '7. This will bring about the severing of the bead and the cutting off of the top of the drum. An expansion spring 59 is coiled about the drive shaft 38 and bears against the lower guide bearing block 49 and functions to hold this block down on its guideways 43.

In actual practice, upon the travelling of the device around the drum once, the screw 45 can be again adjusted and the device is allowed to travel around the drum again. This insures the cutting of the rim entirely through.

While we have shown the feed shaft 31 and the cutter shaft 38 in a vertical plane, it is to be understood thatthe shafts can be disposed in a horizontal plane. Likewise, in some instances, a drive roller can be substituted for the cutter disc 42 and an additional cutter disc can be provided for bearing down directly on the top 6 of the drum.

In Figure 6 we have shown a slightly modified form of the invention and in this form a drive motor 60 is arranged in a vertical plane and is rigidly mounted by has been streamlined and a guide 67 is provided for the" chain as, and the sprocket wheels 65 and 66. Also the upper end of the frame 10 is provided with a carrying In all other respects the" and manipulating handle 63. device-is the same as the form of the invention shown in Figures 1 to 5, inclusive.

It is to be also understood, however, that in some instances the shaft 31 can carry a cutter wheel and that the shaft'38 can carry a feed wheel, so that the cut can be made from the exterior of the barrel, or drum, should such be desired.

Other changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or the scope of this invention, but what is claimed as new is:

1. A power driven unit for cutting off the tops of steel drums and the like comprising a vertically disposed frame, means for suspending the frame on the drum to be cut, a rotatable feed shaft carried by the frame, a knurled feed wheel secured to the shaft for engaging the outer surface of a drum, a cutter shaft, a cutter disc on said shaft for engaging the inner surface of the drum to be cut, a pivoted bearing block rotatably supporting the upper end of the cutter shaft, a slide block carried rigidly secured to the motor having vertical slots therein said mounting plate being disposed in facial relation to the outer plate of the frame, adjusting bolts carried by said outer plate and extending through said slots, and adjustable means on the bolts for clamping the mounting plate in an adjusted position on the outer plate, a

drive shaft carried by the frame, means operatively connecting the motor to the drive shaft arotatable feed The chain shaft carried by the frame, a feed wheel on said feed shaft for engaging the outer surface of the drum being cut, a rotatable cutter shaft, a cutter disc carried by said shaft for engaging the inner surface of the barrel being cut, means operatively connecting said feed and cutter shafts together, and means for driving one of said last mentioned shafts from the drive shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Fluhartz Nov. 29, 1938 Leland Feb. 1, 1944 lager May 11, 1948 Jensen Dec. 18, 1951 

